Alabama verbal ArDarius Stewart named 2012 Birmingham News Metro Player of the Year

FULTONDALE, Alabama - When Fultondale coach Keith Register
spoke at Jefferson and Shelby County High School Football Media Days in July, he
shared a hope about how the best player in Fultondale history might one day be
remembered.

When this season was over, he felt ArDarius Stewart should
go down as one of the top players in North Jefferson and even Jefferson County
history. He probably set the bar too low.

Fultondale senior ArDarius Stewart looks for a receiver against Vincent in this file photo from the 2012 season. The Alabama verbal was named the 2012 Birmingham News Metro Player of the Year. (Frank Couch/fcouch@al.com)

The Alabama commitment was a part of 50 touchdowns on
passes, rushes or returns. That ranks sixth all-time in Alabama High School
Athletic Association history. He scored 52 touchdowns as a junior. That ranks No.
5 on that AHSAA list.

When all of his scores are tallied, Stewart had 138 career touchdowns
on passes, receptions or runs. That ranks third all-time in AHSAA history.

"Most people see those touchdowns and think maybe we're running
up scores and running him into the ground," Fultondale coach Keith Register
said during the playoffs. "What he does is just play the game and react and let
the game come to him. He's not forcing things."

Stewart was the clear choice for the 2012 Birmingham News
Metro Player of the Year honor. Despite strong performances by Spain Park
quarterback Nick Mullens and Midfield athlete Courtney Foy, what Stewart did
was special even amid the company of those great players.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pounder is expected to start
out as a slot receiver in Tuscaloosa.

Stewart had more touchdowns this season than 42 of the 64
teams in Class 2A. When Register took
over at Fultondale in 2004, it took the program three seasons to score 319
points. Stewart almost had that many by himself in 2012.

Stewart has a 2,000-yard rushing season on his resume. He
picked off six passes as a freshman and returned five of those for scores. He's
led the Wildcats to back-to-back seasons in which either would qualify as the
best season in program history.

ArDarius Stewart works the crowd before the start of the fourth quarter during the Fyffe game in this November 2012 file photo. Stewart scored 138 total touchdowns either via passing touchdowns, rushes or on returns in his prep career. (Christine Prichard/preps@al.com)

Those feats place him in an honored roll call of the state's
most prolific players of any generation. His closest playing parallel at
Alabama is Minor product Christion Jones. That's a high bar for athletic ability.

Stewart has abused the rewind button in the Fultondale film
room, but he really only cares about winning. Not highlights.

"After a big game you can give him a grin and say 'Good job'
and he knows," Register said. "He doesn't need anyone to tell him he's great. He
just wants to win. Yeah, he had 350 yards in this game or that game, but he'd
be just as happy with 28 yards and a win. You could put ArDarius at center for
a team and he'd be the best center you would have and he'd be happy if he was
winning."

Perhaps the best play that sums him up is the one that got
taken away in the playoffs against top-ranked Tanner. Down 14-0, he made the play future SEC
standouts should make. He went back to pass and his reads weren't there. One
receiver ran the wrong route. So he zigged and then zagged to the other side of
the field.

He wasn't brought down until he'd reached the red zone on an
approximate 60-yard gain. But that play was called back for clipping.
Fultondale never scored against the eventual state champions. The play would've
gassed any player, but he jumped up after he was brought down thanks to pure
adrenaline.

When he saw the flag, he collapsed. Nobody needed to read
his mind about how he felt.

"When I saw the flag, it took the breath out of me and the
whole stadium," Stewart said. "I tried to make the big play we needed to have,
but the officials saw that penalty and threw the flag."

Stewart still lists a second half rally in the playoffs last
season as his best game. That's when he scored three times in the second half
in a 26-21 win at North Sand Mountain.

He launched himself from the 5-yard line into the end zone
for the game-winning score with 42 seconds left against the No. 5 team in 2A.
Fultondale scored 19 points in the fourth quarter that night. Stewart ran for
179 yards and lists that last touchdown as the best of 138 career scores.

"That one was hard," Stewart said. "It brought out the best in
me. We were down and could've given up. We had to dig deep and fight to prove
something that I didn't think we could really do until we did it."

Fultondale senior ArDarius Stewart poses in some of his Sunday best dress in this 2012 Birmingham News Metro Super Seniors portrait this summer. Stewart was named the 2012 Metro Player of the Year by the News on Sunday after being a part of 50 total touchdowns this season. (Tamika Moore/ tmoore@al.com)

Register says he didn't know when Stewart's impact would
sink in.

"All the numbers and touchdowns are really overwhelming," he
said. "It's really the type of stuff that really just blows your mind even for
a great player to accomplish."

Jeff Sentell covers Birmingham high school sports for The Alabama Media Group and The Birmingham News. Write to him at jsentell@al.com.

All-Metro resume: The Alabama commitment
primarily played at quarterback and at safety. He ran 188 times for 1923 yards
(10.2 yards per carry) and completed 57 of his 94 passes for 1034 yards. He
threw 11 touchdowns against three interceptions. That's after a junior season
where he broke the 2,000-yard mark in rushing and accounted for 52 touchdowns
either with his throwing arm or legs. He added another 50 total touchdowns this
season and also collected 55 tackles and two interceptions at safety. He had 138 career touchdowns in his AHSAA
career either on passes, runs or returns. That ranks him third all-time in all
AHSAA classes.

Favorite Alabama coaches: Assistants Mike Groh and Lance Thompson

Favorite book: That would be one of the five classic "Little
Bear" children's books he loved as a kid.

Favorite car: A
black Bugatti, but with all black rims and tint.

Favorite color: Red

Favorite Christmas gift: The PlayStation3 he got last Christmas.

Favorite dream date: Beyonce.

Favorite movie: He likes "Rush Hour 3" the best out of all the movies in
that series.

Favorite player: Adrian Peterson

Favorite pro team: Minnesota Vikings

Favorite restaurant: Stixx

Favorite school subject: Psychology

Favorite superhero: The Hulk

Favorite teacher: Too many to mention

Favorite thing to do in Tuscaloosa: Visit the locker room

Favorite toy growing up: A green-and-purple Big Wheel

Favorite TV show: "Family Guy"

Unusual hobby:
He likes to cook.

Bet you didn't know: He'll play baseball this spring and says he can throw a 90-mph
fastball. He also doesn't like scary movies and has "about 50" Crimson Tide
T-shirts.

One athletic thing he doesn't do well: He looks pretty uncoordinated trying to
slide in baseball.

What he'd like for Christmas this year: The dream would be an NFL contract or a
letter saying he was already eligible for the NFL draft.